Muslims say Pope Francis offers message of unity

Shahid Abdul-Karim

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, April 13, 2013

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In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis shakes hands with U.N. President of Economic and Social Council Nestor Osorio, at the Vatican Saturday, April 13, 2013. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) less

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis shakes hands with U.N. President of Economic and Social Council Nestor Osorio, at the Vatican Saturday, April 13, 2013. (AP ... more

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Muslims say Pope Francis offers message of unity

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After Pope Francis I urged the West to intensify dialogue with Islam, some Connecticut Muslim leaders said steps have been made to further interfaith exchange with the Christian community.

In an audience last month, where he urged and appealed to 180 ambassadors including Muslim leaders, the pope said, "In this work, the role of religion is fundamental. It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God."

"But the converse is also true: It is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam," the pope said in his audience with the Diplomatic Corps on March 22, according to the Vatican website.

Nasif Muhammad, 68, resident imam of the Al Aziz Islamic Center in Bridgeport, said Pope Francis' statement carries a lot of weight and is very influential for building interfaith relations in America.

"This was a very influential statement by the pope, but steps have been made and there has been a lot of coming together with the different faiths in the past several decades," said Muhammad.

"When we look at the Muslim world as a whole, we can't let the Muslim world set the tone for us and how we should feel and think about the whole concept of interfaith in America," he said. "We can be sympathetic of the Muslim world, but we have done some great things in America and in this state with other religious and faiths."

According to the teachings of Islam, there are five basic purifying principles or pillars that Muslims adhere to.

The Islamic pillars are: the belief in the oneness of God; the institution of prayer; giving charity; fasting during the month of Ramadan; and the holy pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Kashif Abdul-Karim, resident Imam of the Muhammad Islamic Center of Greater Hartford, said Christians and Muslims "represent the two largest religious bodies in the world, over a billion apiece."

"We can create and influence peace all around the world if we work together," Abdul-Karim said.

Abdul-Karim, 52, also noted that he is elated that a Latino pope was selected, which could help the urban communities.

"This is the first time a Latino pope was elected, and they represent a large body of people, which has never happened before," he said. "So, this gives us in America a chance to work closer with the urban Latino community."

The Rev. James Manship, pastor of Fair Haven's St. Rose of Lima Church, a congregation that is 95 percent Latino, said he is open to an interfaith engagement. His church members come from 18 countries.

"I think this is a continuation of Pope John Paul's II work. Dialogue and engagement is great, its an opportunity to learn from one another," Manship said. "I have always found dialogue a humbling experience, whether it's internationally or locally, it's a call for us," he said. "The pope's message is, going outside of ourselves, because there are many positive things we can build on."

Francis, 76, is the 266th pope and is first non-European elected in the modern era. Francis was Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires,

In the spirit of building unity and religious tolerance, Francis also said, in his March 22 audience, "the title of pontiff means builder of bridges."

"My wish is that the dialogue between us should help to build bridges connecting all people, in such a way that everyone can see in the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister to be welcomed and embraced," he said, according to the Vatican website.

Muslim leaders Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan, 77, and Mongi Dhaouadi, 47, said Muslims and Christians have a history of embracing one another.

"Anytime there is a problem in the world, history tells us and it's proven that Christians and Muslims come together to resolve those problems," said Hasan, the resident Imam of the Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan Islamic Center in Hamden. "I think we all are aligned with scripture, in the sense of wanting to practice loving one another and having a working relationship with all people."

Manship and Hasan meet at the Islamic Center in Hamden this month to begin extensive community dialogue. The two religious leaders said the initial talks were progressive, and will be scheduling a joint community gathering of the two faiths over the next few months.

"Our meeting was good and I enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Hasan," Manship said. "I'm hoping more Catholics will come from behind their four walls and engage the community more," he said.

"Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, and it's natural that the Catholic world would like to establish a relationship with the Muslim community," said Dhaouadi, president of Connecticut Council on American Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil liberties group. "Catholics have not always had it easy in this country, and as Muslims reflect on that history and our experiences in this country, it's really a shared history with Catholics and Muslims."